Talking Terps Basketball With Mike DeCourcy

Diamond Stone, Jake Layman, Robert Carter, and Rasheed Sulaimon have played their last games in a Maryland uniform; but optimism is increasing in College Park for what the 2016-17 Terrapins can achieve.

To discuss Maryland basketball, Baltimore Sports and Life (BSL) has reached out to Mike DeCourcy (Sporting News & The Big Ten Network) for his thoughts.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

BSL: In 2015-16, the University of Maryland Terrapins reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2003 season. However, they did not reach the heights (#1 in the original ESPN Power Poll, #3 in the AP and Coaches Polls) originally projected for them.

This coming year expectations will be lower from most; but I see a roster* with the capability of competing for a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament, and advancing just as far in the National Tournament.

*The 2016-17 MD Roster
Guards: Trimble, Cowan, Wiley, Huerter, Brantley
Wings: Jackson, Nickens, Thomas
Bigs: Gill, Dodd, Cekovsky, Bender, Tomaic

What are your current general thoughts on the roster as a whole? What do you see as MD’s potential ceiling and floor?

DeCourcy: I can’t escape the feeling that a lot depends on how Dion Wiley recovers from his injury. I think I’ve made it pretty clear in the past that I think a lot of his potential, and having him ready to contribute at a high level could be essential to these Terps. If he’s good, Wiley, Nickens and Jackson give the Terps a very promising trio of wings, and obviously they’re in great shape at point guard. Dodd has been solid, but probably needs to be a bit more now — unless Cekovsky makes a significant leap forward, which I could see happening.

BSL: As shown above, MD’s primary strengths this coming year will be with their Guard and Wing depth. Due to that, do you anticipate Coach Turgeon committing to more small-ball alignments, and doing more consistent pressing / trapping vs. what we’ve seen from him previously at Maryland? Will we see an overall increased pace of play?

DeCourcy: I don’t know that Maryland can commit to pressing and trapping because of the wear and tear it would place on Melo, who is going to need to play 30-plus minutes for the Terps to have any chance to be special. And being totally honest here, part of Melo returning is to give him an opportunity to continue to develop. He made significant strides as an individual defender last season, but still is only adequate at best. I don’t think there’s any reason he can’t become very good other than the need to keep him out of foul trouble.

BSL: I feel like I’m higher on Damonte Dodd, and Michal Cekovsky than most. Both can help a roster with their size, and good athleticism. Both can help defensively. Clearly though, both have limitations. It seems unlikely MD will get consistent post-scoring from either. I imagine Turgeon will adjust his lineups and minutes by the opponents they face, and the performance of his players. Overall though, do you think MD will be best served by Justin Jackson, and L.G. Gill being the regular 4 & 5 starters?

DeCourcy: Gill gives Maryland a chance to field a Big Ten-sized power forward, but I can’t foresee any scenario in which playing him at center regularly would represent the team’s best lineup. I’d have to see what Jackson looks like in November, and how comfortable he is shooting the ball from distance, before I’d hazard a guess as to whether he could be a comfortable stretch-4 type as a freshman. He’ll be an asset in some role. But I like Dodd and Cekovsky, too. You know the base of what you’re going to get from Dodd is likely to be what he contributed in 2014-15, and it could be more if he’s improved. We’ve seen great moments from Cekovsky, and it’s possible the reason we didn’t see more than that is last year’s team was pretty loaded up front. What maybe is most intriguing is whether Mark would want to try to play them together at times. That’s not where the game is going, as they say, but sometimes you can take the game where you want to.

BSL: It’s an exciting Freshman class for MD, with the aforementioned Jackson being joined by Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter, Micha Thomas, and Joshua Tomaic. Would you start Cowan with Melo Trimble? Would give MD two PGs on the floor, with Trimble getting time off the ball. Huerter was selected to the Under 18 National team. He has an excellent shot, and seems to have better than advertised athleticism based on the video we’ve seen. Which of the Freshman most interest you?

DeCourcy: I wouldn’t rule out anything, but if Nickens and Wiley are ready to go, on paper those would be your starters on the wings. On the court, preseason practice might show something different. I’ve gone to lots of practices expecting to see one thing, only to be surprised by the readiness of a particular player and the inevitably of him taking a role. One guy that comes to mind is James Robinson at Pitt four years ago. He was not an elite recruit, but he understood the game so well that even though he wasn’t a great athlete the team just flowed better with him on the floor. Maryland wouldn’t seem to be lacking for that direction with Melo still on the team, but it’s impossible to be sure what the Terps need until they assemble.

Kevin Huerter didn’t shoot well for the U-18 team, but neither did Trae Young and I know he can light it up. I wouldn’t worry much about that. The fact he made the team is very promising for Maryland. He gives the team one more promising option and could help form the foundation of a very strong Big Ten team over the next several years.

BSL: It didn’t get a ton of attention Nationally last year, but the loss of Dion Wiley was significant. He would have been MD’s 2nd best on-ball defender behind Sulaimon, and his absence further thinned the Terps Guard / Wing depth.  He is back to fully practicing this Summer. Jared Nickens Sophomore year was generally disappointing. Can he improve on the dribble-drive? Can he do a little bit of posting up? Will the defensive effort be more consistent? Bottom-line with Nickens is that he has to regularly knock down shots like he is capable of? If Cowan is starting in the backcourt with Trimble, and Jackson is starting at the 4; who do you see as the best fit at the 3?  Wiley, Nickens, or Huerter?

DeCourcy: What Maryland needs from Nickens is for him to be a great shooter. It’s that simple. Any development is welcome, so if he adds driving the ball to his game, great. But he has to make shots. He shot 34.7 percent last year, and only 26 percent in conference, and he’s better than that. And he has to be better than that, because if teams have to stretch to cover him that gives Melo more room to attack the lane. If he doesn’t, teams might consider zoning or constricting their defenses to keep Melo from attacking.

BSL: MD goes into the Fall with 13 players on scholarship, all seemingly useful in some capacity. Can you speak to the benefit of that depth in competition in practice, and perhaps any detriment that may exist (trying to keep everyone focused on team goals vs. individual accolades?) with extended numbers?

DeCourcy: It’s likely somebody will be unhappy in the end, but there will be competition for playing time at every position but one, so no player will have the luxury of cruising through practices. If they’re the kind of guys you want on your team, they will embrace the challenge of competing for playing time. Maryland’s players in the past few years have been some of the most refreshing to deal with in the conference. I think Mark and his staff do a great job of finding good character.

BSL: Thoughts on the out of conference schedule? Highlights include facing Georgetown in D.C., Richmond, and either Boston College or Kansas State in the Barclays Classic, Pittsburgh in the ACC / Big Ten Challenge at home, Oklahoma State at home, and Charlotte in Baltimore.

DeCourcy: It looks ideal for a team that is retooling after losing so many key components. There isn’t a ton of glamour on there, but there are plenty of challenges. That’s a pretty high concentration of high-major opponents, but most of them should be teams Maryland will have a good chance to beat by playing well.

BSL: How many teams from the Big Ten will be in your initial Top 25, and how many teams do you think will be capable of winning the Conference?

DeCourcy: We’ve got four Big Ten teams ranked, and I’d say every one of them could win the league: Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan State.

BSL: To you, the primary question with MD is what?

DeCourcy: Finding the best possible lineup and rotation and building an offense and defense that can work from that. They’ve got a long list of capable players but probably only one that you know exactly what he’ll give you. The coaches have a lot to work with, but a lot of work to do. I think it’s going to be a good year, but they’ll have to make it happen.